An "initial vision" for future renovations at Paycor Stadium totals $1.25 billion. Local design firm MSA Design presented its initial comprehensive renovation plan to Hamilton County commissioners Tuesday. It outlines a host of possible improvements the county and the team will give input on as the sides negotiate a new stadium lease. The public is also invited to provide feedback.
The board is in negotiations with the Cincinnati Bengals on a new lease for Paycor Stadium. The current lease expires in 2026. The team has the option to exercise five, two-year extensions of the current lease.
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The proposal includes a new training center just west of the stadium, which would include two turf fields with a 2,000-seat stadium, a 400,000-square foot team building with indoor/outdoor training space, work-out room and administrative offices.
You can read the full vision plan and provide your thoughts here.
The plan calls for relocating part of Mehring Way; converting Central Ave to a pedestrian-only space from Pete Rose Way to Mehring; 20 acres of park space to be used for game day parking and tailgating; and redoing the plaza to include four new access points and 60,000-square feet of space.
On the inside, there would be an augmented scoreboard among numerous interior renovations like new seating, suites and club improvements, new standing room spaces, event space opportunities, a food hall, party decks, a club concept, a Hall of Champions museum-like space, and pedestrian circulation improvements, among other proposals.
The plan lays out a 35% increase in stadium square footage. The design images show large-scale video boards on the outside of the stadium.
A report issued in 2022 found the stadium would require about $494 million in maintenance and enhancements.
This proposal was created at the direction of the board as a possible way to improve the stadium with a goal of keeping the team in Cincinnati for the long-term, rather than have the same conversation in just five years, said County Administrator Jeff Aluotto.
"We have to figure out what we can afford, and then we have to say 'Alright which elements are we including?' " said Commission Vice President Denise Driehaus. "All of this is related to the long-term investment of the county — and others — to keep the team here for a long term. ... And creates all this public benefit in the meantime that we really have not seen play out under the current lease."
The commissioners said the presentation meets the goals they asked for like increased accessibility and better circulation.
"The big deal for me is to see [if the Bengals] agree with this mission, this vision and these goals, and if not, what can we do?," said Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas. "It's so important to me — the goals that have been shown through your presentation — that it's... there's no negotiation on it. If they don't agree then we have to think of another option."
Ultimately, however, the board indicated that everything hinges on a new lease.
"Everything that you presented, I put it toward this," said Commission President Alicia Reece gesturing toward a copy of Bengals' current lease. "And I tried to say, 'It looks good, it's a great possible vision.' Of course, I don't like the price, but we've got to tie it to funding."
The lease negotiations are not expected to go smoothly. The Bengals have enjoyed years of upgrades at the taxpayers' expense under the terms of the original lease. Previous county commissioners tried repeatedly to challenge the lease in the court to no avail. The Bengals have worked with the board in the past to share some of the costs on some projects.
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County leaders have long complained about the decades-old contract with the Bengals, saying the team doesn’t take on enough of the cost to maintain the stadium. All three current county commissioners say the lease terms do not benefit taxpayers. Reece said she can't really consider any stadium upgrades without considering what changes may come with a potential new lease.
"We got to get a different deal," she said while listing the many parts of lease that hold the county responsible for things like paying for maintenance, utilities, and taxes, while not getting much if any of the profits or the ability to manage the stadium.
Reece has said repeatedly she wants more buy-in from the NFL.
The board wants any future improvements to include funding from the team, the NFL, and the state of Ohio on top of the county's commitment.
The board members indicated they are not interested in entertaining the idea of an additional tax to fund any upgrades. Reece says the board met with staff from Gov. Mike DeWine's office indicating state assistance would be important, as it has been reported for the Cleveland Browns.
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Aluotto says the next step is to collect feedback from the public and meet with the team about their priorities and thoughts on the stadium vision. A deadline for public input is still being decided. The board will also review the proposal further and offer its own feedback.
Driehaus suggested a public meeting be held in the evening to gather feedback, too.
The only public money that goes toward the maintenance and operation of Paycor Stadium is a half-cent sales tax passed by voters in 1996, which also funds Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati Public Schools and the property tax rebate. The sales tax does not expire and will go toward stadium debt until at least 2032.
The board approved spending $39 million in Dec. 2023 to fund upgrades at the stadium, including improving wheelchair accessibility, elevators, and replacing some seats. As part of that memorandum of understanding, the Bengals promised to pay for about $70 million in other maintenance and upgrades.
